ICC Women's Player Of The Month Award: India's Shafali Verma, whose knock set up the tempo for the Indian innings in the final of the ODI World Cup 2025, has been named the ICC Women's Player of the Month for November. Notably, Verma scored an 78-ball 87, which helped India reach 298 for 7 in the first innings. Her knock was aggressive in nature as she put on a record opening wicket stand along with Smriti Mandhana.

Interestingly, Shafali was not a part of the Indian squad as she was brought in as a late replacement for the injured Pratika Rawal.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur used Shafali as a trump card in the 2nd innings as the Haryana-born dismissed Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp in successive overs, breaking crucial partnerships during South Africa's chase to finish with 2/36 from seven overs.

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"My first ICC Women's Cricket World Cup experience didn't go as I expected, but it ended far better than I could have ever wished or imagined," said Verma.

"I'm grateful that I could contribute to the team's success in the Final and that I was able to be a part of making history in winning the World Cup for the first time and in front of a home crowd. I'm truly honoured to be named the Women's Player of the Month for November. I dedicate this award to my teammates, coaches, family and everyone who has supported my journey until now. We win and lose as a team; the same goes for this award," she added.

Her all-round brilliance in the final earned Shafali the Player of the Match award that sealed India's maiden Women's Cricket World Cup title, making them only the fourth team to lift the coveted trophy.

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The recognition caps a remarkable turnaround for Shafali, who was earlier dropped from India's ODI squad and returned to domestic cricket to regain form before earning her World Cup recall.

Her November exploit showcased not only her resurgence but also her growing big-match temperament, cementing her place at the heart of India's historic triumph in the final.

Inputs from Agency